The M1911 Pistols Organization Forums Site - Series 70

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Bacon

4th May 2009, 23:04

Traded for this Series 70 about 2 months ago. Here is how it looked when it came home:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Bacon51/Colt%201911/Series70-1.jpg

This is a 35 year old 1911 that hasn't even been broken in. It has some scratches on the finish but nothing deep. The collet was stiff and needed some Kroil to get it to move. Cleaned it up and it looked great. Took it to the range and I'm breaking it in just like a new gun.

Here it is now:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Bacon51/Colt%201911/Series70-01.jpg

I found some nos factory grips for $36. Original low sights and long trigger came from Brownells. The purists aren't gonna like it but this is a shooter and I gotta have a long trigger. With the price of guns & ammo these days, I wanted to show that there's still some deals out there. Plus I'm darn happy that I finally got a Series 70 and wanted to show off.

PhantomAce

4th May 2009, 23:16

Nice Colt, congrats...

bamabiker

4th May 2009, 23:31

Very nice. I recently got one for $300 but it had been the guy's truck gun and is not in near as good of shape as yours.

Mick_In_Texas

4th May 2009, 23:40

Recently acquired an original Series 70 Mk IV Government Model, myself... mine's 1977 manufacture. What got me into the platform, was a work buddy's MK IV Govt from it appears about 1972 manufacture.

I bought a Repro S70 several months ago. 'Cause I never thought I'd have an original.

Mine's got some issues that we're dealing with in another thread. Mine's blued, too. But, these are the ORIGINALS: that's why I love them... well, originals outside of the USGIs, which I have one of, 1918 in excellent shape.

The folks here will help you. They're giving me so much info on these, for my own's issues with malfunction, I'm just always amazed by these folks here. I have one Series 80 Colt, a Super 38 Government Model, which is just flat-out superb... but I PREFER the "Series 70": no firing pin block. My Repro was working (finally) 100% yesterday... a surprise... but my own original may be a learning pistol. How does yours shoot???

I'm interested, sir! The collet finger barrel bushing is different to me; but many support it, as long as you don't remove it from the barrel. Colt's bluing is ALWAYS beautiful, regardless... and my own Mk IV original is beautifully blued. So is my O1991. That Mk IV looked lovely, disassembled, last week, laying out waiting for lube and reassembly! I'm meat and potatoes on all my 1911s, and this one is the one I fell in love with, although I didn't own it. I currently own 9 1911s, 6 of them Colts. Yes, it's that bad for me... LoL!!! They're about the only thing I carry anymore, several years, and shoot...

You take care and WELCOME!
Mick

WhoaCowboy

5th May 2009, 00:14

Great find!

Bacon

5th May 2009, 00:47

Mick - Thanks for the welcome but I've been here for over 4 years now. Just don't post very often. :D
In your post you said to not remove the collet from the barrel. I've been doing that without any problems so far. It's tighter than the regular barrel bushing but still goes on and off without much trouble. What is the reason for keeping it on the barrel?

kenhwind

5th May 2009, 13:06

What is the reason for keeping it on the barrel?
To keep from overspreading the fingers IMO.
You have a nice MKIV, we had those sights on my brothers gun once upon a time. did they have to file a flat spot on top of the slide?
I like the Kings hardball sights.

MikeyB

5th May 2009, 14:11

I never had an issue yet (knock on wood) from removing the bushing from the barrel on my original series 70. And it's still very tight.

MikeyB

cliff731

5th May 2009, 14:39

Bacon

5th May 2009, 15:50

To keep from overspreading the fingers IMO.
You have a nice MKIV, we had those sights on my brothers gun once upon a time. did they have to file a flat spot on top of the slide?
I like the Kings hardball sights.

Thanks, I had a gunsmith do the sights & he didn't say anything about filing on top of the slide. I filed a little on the front sight itself just to clean it up.

My first 45 auto back in the 80's, a Springfield GI, had the same type of sights so I know how to shoot with them. During the daylight shouldn't be a problem even for my 57 year old eyes. Since I have another customized Colt to put night sights on, I plan to keep this one close to original.

Bacon

5th May 2009, 16:04

Bacon,

That's a great looking Colt Series 70... and I'm glad to see you've taken her back to the original configuration... http://forum.m1911.org/images/icons/icon14.gif

Do you have any idea of the year she was "born"?

Cliff

DOB is 1974. Even though the long trigger is the only difference from stock, I'll be keeping the original short trigger squirreled away just in case. It was good to find the parts cheap + the nice deal on the grips. I was lucky.

Here's a photo of the other side:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Bacon51/Colt%201911/Series70-02.jpg

RickB

5th May 2009, 17:57

I have a stash of original Series 70 parts - hammer, trigger, slide stop, thumb safety, grip safety, mainspring housing, spring guide/plug, grips - for the day that that slightly-modded pistol comes along and needs "restoring". Still waiting . . .

Bacon

5th May 2009, 19:51

dakota1911

5th May 2009, 20:12

I think a lot of us who bought guns back then and felt a lot of **** on them would have to be changed (sights). We may still have boxes or maybe even cabinets full of stuff off those guns. Not selling. Doubt I can even find it anymore, and let it die. The new Colts are a lot better, esp. if Colt would do a new Commander without the the S80 safety. Many of us would pay more for less.

cliff731

6th May 2009, 02:10

DOB is 1974. Even though the long trigger is the only difference from stock, I'll be keeping the original short trigger squirreled away just in case. It was good to find the parts cheap + the nice deal on the grips. I was lucky.

Here's a photo of the other side:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Bacon51/Colt%201911/Series70-02.jpg

Those grip panels (a.k.a.- stocks) were a great find and addition to your Series 70... :appld:

1saxman

6th May 2009, 15:48

It looks great now. I really like keeping Colts as original as practicable - nice job.

Mick_In_Texas

6th May 2009, 20:38

I never had an issue yet (knock on wood) from removing the bushing from the barrel on my original series 70. And it's still very tight.
MikeyB

I fell in love with the platform from a work buddy's Mk IV Government Model/Series 70. I did that by disassembling it and re-assembling it without an instruction book per se... without scratching the frame... and the historical value... I have 9 1911s right now. I didn't recall the barrel bushing being a collet type on his, but it is: I recently took his down again, because I now have a 1977 dob Series 70 myself! In my thread, it was also advised that those collet finger bushing shouldn't be removed, but THANKFULLY I didn't hurt his (the first time) or mine (the first time).

Probably best practice not to if you don't need to... was even recommended to get a standard bushing to shoot it with generally, keep the collet finger for originality; of course would require removing the collet finger once more. But, mine has other functionality issues right now which will take some time and money to track down.

Still, these are beautiful, relatively old Colt 1911A1s... I much prefer that slide version on ANY of my 1911s! Have two S80s, a Colt Super 38 Govt and an O1991. They are fine, just don't like that deviation from the "original" design. Also have the Series 70 Reproduction in stainless. Got it 'cause I never thought I'd have one of the originals...

Beautiful gun here! Y'all take care and be safe.
Mick

Mick_In_Texas

6th May 2009, 20:40

DOB is 1974. Even though the long trigger is the only difference from stock, I'll be keeping the original short trigger squirreled away just in case. It was good to find the parts cheap + the nice deal on the grips. I was lucky.
Here's a photo of the other side:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Bacon51/Colt%201911/Series70-02.jpg

Sweet. Absolutely SWEET! Congratulations!!! And ENJOY... thoroughly.

Mick

Bacon

8th May 2009, 19:34

Mick_In_Texas

8th May 2009, 20:57

Thank you Mick. I can see you are passionate about your Colts. BTW - Mine came already equipped with an idiot scratch. :rolleyes: Just a lite scratch that you have to hold in the right light to see. Good it wasn't a deep one.

Those are the best kind, if you have one! LoL... I reckon I'm fairly passionate about the platform, AND those that are Colt... My '77 Mk IV at least wasn't scratched: previous owner/s knew how to "hold their mouth right" on that... Something small but interesting: the Colts's slide stops are easier to get "back in", than my Springers or my RIA. Conversely, they're somewhat difficult to fully remove from the frame/link pin. Interesting. This holds true for this one. Not so much First Lady, my USGI from WWI, but all the other of my 6 Ponies.

You ended up with a beauty, and your slight mods are tasteful and functional. I like a basic 1911 (well, with three-dot or the larger "mil-spec" sights, like these Mk IVs; those mils, I can hit with, on the range... don't know about under duress). To me, these pistols, from 1910 through the modern twenty-first century, are the ultimate, regardless of how they're rigged out. My safety officer at work once asked me, "When you're packing (and I really kinda don't like that word, but I reckon it's what I'm doing when I'm carrying), what do you pack?" I told him, "1911 .45 auto." He said, "Good enough."

I reckon so. You take care and have a great weekend!

Mick